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Talk:Glossary/@comment-94.218.66.126-20191227084817
How "save" ist the explanation for Specials and Ongoings here? I would say - except for the debate about older cards which is obsolete anyway (Archmage, ...) - that it is pretty solid. Still, as long as it isn't "official" (even when I have to admit that even some "official" answers make no sense) I'm still not 100% satisfied. The reason is that there's not only an inconsistency over several sets which continue until new expansions (latest example: Mummy) but even in the same set and the same deck: Deep Friar and Bin and Gone. Both cards do the same thing and yet using different keywords (DF: Special, BaG: Ongoing). Could this really be a mistake? Or is there probably a deeper meaning behind it? When I examine how the special phrase is used then it is - except for the core set which isn't a good reference and shall be ignored here - almost exclusively used for "one-shot" abilities. To go into detail: 1. An ability that can trigger when the card is not in play. This usually takes the form of playing the card from your hand under some specific circumstances. For example, Shinobi, Hidden Ninja -> These are "one-shots" from hand. 2. A synonym for Ongoing. This definition is used frequently in the Core Set presumably before the designers had a good understanding of how the rules would evolve over time. For example, Ninja Acolyte, Buccaneer. -> I would ignore this for obvious reasons. 3. An ability that triggers during the Score Bases phase while the card is in play. While the keyword Ongoing would also work here, the keyword Special is more prominently used for that particular phase while Ongoing is used for the other phases. For example, Dust Devil, Pharaoh. -> This is when things get interesting. These cards have - mostly - in common that they do something once in phase 3 and are then discarded otherwise. Pharao's ability only refers to the same base, so he's discarded after using it, Dust Devil moves to the base before it's discarded (unless you have a specific cards which holds it in play), Deep Friar saves another Minion before he's discarded (again, with the exception of other cards which save him, like Bin and Gone). Talking about BaG: this works differently, as it saves cards from OTHER bases in phase 3, therefore it can kick in multiple times before it leaves play. So could it probably be that Special abilities in play which trigger in phase 3 differentiate themselves from phase 3 Ongoing abilities in that way that they are in fact "one-shots" in phase 3 before they leave play while phase 3 Ongoing abilities can work several times before they leave play? If that's the case, then Mummy and Bin and Gone would be worded correctly. The others still would be wrong but at least these 2 would be correct. Another card would be wrong then, however. Cthulhu's Chosen isn't dependent from his own base, his ability also works when other bases score, so he could use his ability several times as well. I don't know if this was intentional however. This is only a theory but it could probably explain some strange wording choices. 4. An ability that triggers when it's uncovered. For example, Blessing of Anubis, Tomb Trap. -> No problem at all. These are one-shots when they get uncovered.